I am looking for some bible verses that talk about understanding. Most
importantly talking about how all Christian faiths are still
compatable in terms of marriage. The reason I ask is I am trying to
show how Catholics and Protestants are not so different on the
essential beliefs and how a marriage could still happen. I am
Catholic, and my girlfriend is Protestant and we cannot get married
because her father beliefs our beliefs sepearte us, but I do not.

An example of this can be found in 1 Cor 1:12 when Paul talks about
coming togeather.

I know this is kinda hard considering when the Bible was written there
was only one church, however most Protestant religions will only
accept the Bible as grounds for beliefs, so that is why I stress the
importants of finding things within the Bible.

Hello eyesonly-ga,
 Here are some bible verses that address such issues as Christian
unity and tolerance. However it is important to bear in mind that
these scriptures may be interpreted in many different ways. Sometimes
if a person has made up their mind to believe something, there is
often little we can do to convince them otherwise. Nevertheless, I
hope that these scriptures will be useful to you in the context of
tolerance and unity.
If you have any questions, please feel free to request a clarification.
Best of luck to you,
chellphill-ga


1 Corinthians 1
10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no
divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and
thought. 11 My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me
that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you
says, ?I follow Paul?; another, ?I follow Apollos?; another, ?I follow
Cephas?; still another, ?I follow Christ.?
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized
into the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of
you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were
baptized into my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of
Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.)
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel-not
with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its
power.

1 Corinthians 6:3-5 
3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things
of this life! 4Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters,
appoint as judges even men of little account in the church!  5 I say
this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise
enough to judge a dispute between believers?

1 Corinthians 10:31-33
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the
glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks
or the church of God- 33 even as I try to please everybody in every
way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that
they may be saved.

1 Corinthians 11
17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your
meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that
when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and
to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences
among you to show which of you have God's approval. 20 When you come
together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21 for as you eat, each
of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains
hungry, another gets drunk. 22 Don't you have homes to eat and drink
in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have
nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this?
Certainly not!

1 Corinthians 12
   4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There
are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are
different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all
men.

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though
all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or
Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot
should say, ?Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,? it
would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the
ear should say, ?Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the
body,? it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17
If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If
the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But
in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them,
just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where
would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, ?I don't need you!? And the head
cannot say to the feet, ?I don't need you!? 22 On the contrary, those
parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the
parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.
And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,
24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has
combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the
parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the
body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is
honored, every part rejoices with it.
 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

1 Corinthians 10:15-17
15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is
not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation
in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a
participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we,
who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

Ephesians 4:11-13
11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some
to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare
God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge
of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of
the fullness of Christ.

Romans 15:5-6
 5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit
of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with
one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4:2-13
 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one
another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit-just as
you were called to one hope when you were called- 5 one Lord, one
faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and
through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace has been given
as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it  says: ?When he ascended on
high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.?  9 (What
does ?he ascended? mean except that he also descended to the lower,
earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended
higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to
be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare
God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge
of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of
the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:3-6 (King James Version)
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope
of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Colossians 3:13-15 
 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have
against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all
these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect
unity.
 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of
one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Romans 14
1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on
disputable matters. 2 One man's faith allows him to eat everything,
but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The man
who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the
man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for
God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant?
To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord
is able to make him stand.
 5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man
considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his
own mind. 6 He who regards one day as special does so to the Lord. He
who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he
who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none
of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8
If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.
So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he
might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why
do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother?
For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11It is written: ?
?As surely as I live,? says the Lord, ?every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.? ?  12 So then, each of us will give
an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead,
make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your
brother's way.

Galatians 6:10
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,
especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

John 13:34-35
34 ?A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you,
so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you
are my disciples, if you love one another.?

John 17:20-23
20 ?My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will
believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one,
Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us
so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given
them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to
let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you
have loved me.

1 Corinthians 7
12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife
who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not
divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and
he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the
unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the
unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband.
Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the
Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule
I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when
he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man
uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19
Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's
commands is what counts. 20 Each one should remain in the situation
which he was in when God called him. 21Were you a slave when you were
called? Don't let it trouble you-although if you can gain your
freedom, do so. 22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the
Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he
was called is Christ's slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not
become slaves of men. 24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God,
should remain in the situation God called him to.

2 Corinthians 5
14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one
died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that
those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who
died for them and was raised again.

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.
Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has
gone, the new has come!

John 15
17 This is my command: Love each other.

Romans 12:9 (King James Version)
 9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave
to that which is good.


*All Bible verses were taken from the New International Version except where noted.

Thank you, those were just the kinds of verses I was looking for.

Perhaps what would be effective is to make a list of all the
commonalities between the Catholic and Protestant faiths. Although the
differences may be considered large by Protestants, there are many
more similiarities, than differences.

Kriswrite

I have. Athough he believes since some Catholic teachings are grounded
in tradition and not straight out of the Bible that they are not
valid. That is why I am looking for things like when Jesus told Peter
that he founded his CHURCH. I.E. One church, we are all Christians and
that is all that matters.

"I am Catholic, and my girlfriend is Protestant and we cannot get married
because her father beliefs our beliefs sepearte us, but I do not."

You are not planning on marrying her father are you   =P

What does she think of it?  Religion is not set in stone, it is
dependant solely on what you make of it.  If your version of
Catholicism and her version of Protestantism both allow you to marry
(if they allow you to see each other in the first place, I assume
marriage is also acceptable) then by all means do.  Even if her father
disagrees with the decision at first I?m sure he will come to accept
it.

If you cannot find passages in the bible that reconcile the
differences between your two religions I suggest you look for ones on
forgiveness and acceptance.

-Fractl

Dear eyesonly,

My heart goes out to you man. A Shepard was a smelly thieving tender
of Sheep. Christ was the Shepard of all groups including the sheep
Shepard.  He left a legacy of love for all mankind and I hope he can,
during his birthday, Shepard his straying flock together.

Good luck mate

A few years ago I attended a wedding between a young female relative
of mine who is allegedly 'Protestant' and her Catholic beau.

The service was in a Protestant church, the local vicar conducted the
ceremony, but was assisted by a Catholic Priest, who later went on to
make a lengthy - well interminable blessing.

Even non smokers were dying for a cigarette.

Your putatative father in law is probably nervous of being bored by a windbag.

On the plus side, the groom's 'Catholic' contingent were great fun at
the shindig afterwards.

Your putatative father in law is probably also apprehensive of the drinks bill.

Personally I think that this is entirely a matter for you and your
lass to sort out - without outside interference.

Thank ya'll for the kind words.

And I agree, I think it is between her and I, however she can't seem
to pull herself away from the thought that she needs her father's
blessing.

I am going to speak with him tomorrow, hopefully God will open his heart to me.

If it has anything to do with the requirement to pledge to bring the
children up Catholic, the Bible is not going to help.  That's a hard
one for a lot of non-Catholics to swallow, especially since it often
seems to come with a liberal helping of "we're the only true religion"
attitude.

I don't think archae0pteryx's concern should be a problem.  My husband
is Catholic, but I didn't have to pledge to raise the children
Catholic.  (I think he had to pledge that he would try to do so, but I
didn't agree to anything.)

You might find the following document helpful:
http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft9405/mission.html
It's a statement of doctrines on which evangelical Protestants and
Roman Catholics agree.

Another thought: All Christians couples should go through pre-marital
counseling with their minister. (Usually, the minister requires it
before he will marry you, anyway.) Agree to get this counseling,
explain the situation to the minister, and ask him to help you work
out any differences. I should think that if the minister grants his
blessings to you as a couple, your girlfriend's father will have a
hard time objecting on religious grounds.

Kriswrite

Well, one thing I may of failed to mention is that my girlfriend's dad
IS the ministor, reverand, or pastor. Whatever you may call them.

And of course, he won't give his blessing. However, we are talking,
and I don't know how much help it may be, but I just hope my
girlfriend comes to on her own. Pressuring her will do no good.
Hopefully this stalemate won't last forever.

How utterly comical
- the Catholic lad has seduced the rabid Protestant minister's daughter

You certainly did not tell us that.

Better tell the old bigot that he could be much more embarrassed

- at least you can squabble over the same book, other suitors might be
less suitable

His daughter is a mischievous little tyke - probably a good quality

Having just read the mission statement from the FIRSTTHINGS link,
quite a few scriptures are quoted. But I am unable to find ANY Bible
scripture which directs us to remembrance of Mary and the Saints. This
is a man made idea and makes the whole mission subject to doubt. The
writings of Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, [ First Cor. 7;39]
states a widow may remarry, but ONLY IN THE LORD. that is to someone
of the same Christian faith [ in those days]. In Second Corinthians
6;14, Paul again advises against marrying unbelievers..."Do not become
unevenly yoked with unbelievers". Without a common goal, the couple
will strive in different directions which may place un-necessary
burdens on the marriage and can even lead to parting.

Pugwash...you're not helping this guy?s cause at all!

A marriage between people of different faiths is quite possible and
does not, in the cases that I have seen, lead to many burdens at all. 
Marriage is about compromise, it is about people who are different
being able to join as one family unit.  A man and a woman are quite
different, mentally, physically, morally, socially, emotionally, yet
the church (certainly!) does not say that men and women should only
marry those of the same gender.

From what I've seen the child of an inter-faith marriage can take on
one of the two faiths (if one parents beliefs are stronger) or in some
cases be taught both, allowing him/her to decide where he/she belongs
at a later time.  My neighbors celebrate Christmas and Chanukah and
their children ended up choosing their religion as a teenager.

Deciding one?s own religion is a much more solid foundation than being
born into one as I see it.  Having access to different cultures is a
great experience.  Lets not forget that, despite the few nagging
differences; both Catholicism and Protestantism worship the same god. 
According to the GA topic on ?fate of souls not influenced by
religious doctrine? [http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=438161]
the consensus seemed to be that as long as you accept Jesus (in any
some way shape or form) you will be allowed into heaven.

Considering the case here is not as extreme as people of completely
differing faiths the argument that it will work out fine becomes even
stronger.  You believe in the same god, the same Christ and the same
book...everything else is a matter of the method in which you show
your faith.  If God is worth praying to he will forgive these
differences.

-Fractl

fractl,
That is brilliant. Don't sue me if I use some of that word for word :P
Thanks.

frde,
My mother says the same thing. She thinks its funny, and she did
always tell me to make sure I try and find a Catholic girl. Guess mom
was right all along. Although what I can say for her father is that he
raised his daughter well. She is a catch and a half.

Thanks for all the input ya'll, this is really helping me more then you know.

Ere's a story

A protestant lad marries a catholic lass. He's agreed to convert.
Anyways this lad goes to church confesses any sin he can remember and
becomes a devout catholic. However, none of the local catholic boys
befriend him.

This converted catholic lad goes to the priest and says "how comes,
when I've become a good catholic lad, none of the other catholic lads
will befriend me?".

The priest says "Well my son, may be the other are frightened of your
serious catholic practice", he continues "try letting your hair down,
go to the pub swear with the lot of them, get drunk, act the idyot".

Sometimes being part of a religion is a superficial public
proclamation to the rest of society. And it should be fine to be false
to the rest of society, in exchange for a quiet life. At the end of
the day only yourself and god alone knows what is truly in your
darkest nightmare or enlightened dreams.

for Fractl. Your comment, [ Yet the church {certainly} does not say
that men and women should only marry those of the same gender].
My comment had nothing to do with homosexual marriages, as recently
seen approved in some American states, but has to do with the same
spiritual values.
" A few nagging differences" cannot always be overcome, and if those
differences were un-important, why does the Bible recommend that the
couple have the same spiritual goals.
To just "accept" Jesus is not enough. James 2;26.."Indeed, as the body
without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead".
The "works" required is to do what Jesus taught his Apostles who in
turn taught many others. James 2;14 adds to it.
And that is stated at Matthew 28;19,20.

Hekllo,

Is the problem only limited/related to Catholics and Protestants? All
under various religions faiths and beliefs are suffering on account of
this. My essay below shall clarify further. It was related to "How can
we enable Unity in diversity- unifying the humanity?


I am aware of your concern yet, is there a solution to the problem of
unity in diversity you have raised? No, only when you have crossed the
threshold of human life and achieved self-realization... you reach a
stage in the cosmic system when one can differentiate truth from
unreality. The whole cosmic system is like an open book... you become
the knower of all... everything that is contained in the cosmos
including the identity of the real self... our soul (the Atman within)
and also God, the Almighty Creator.

This is what is achieved when one reaches the stage of Nirvikalpa
samadhi. The stage of Nirvikalpa samadhi coupled with practicing
celibacy for a minimum period of 12 years results in one gaining
self-realization. Having reached this stage there is nothing more to
be achieved. It is only when one reaches this stage that we find none
else existing on Mother Earth competent enough to gather the pearls of
wisdom contained in Bhagavad Gita... the doctrine dictated by Lord
Krishna to Arjuna.

Why so? Why is it that at a particular given moment of time two people
does not realize God at the same time? Imagine a situation that 10
people realizing God at the same time. Now you have 10 live Buddhas to
follow... for the common man it is extremely difficult to distinguish
between the ten of them... who is more enlightened than the other...
whom to follow and who not? To make matters less complicated for the
masses... we always have one realized being on Mother Earth at a time.

In the history of mankind there have been only two sets of
contemporaries who arrived within the lifetime of each other. They
were Bhagwan Mahavira and Gautama Buddha and Ramakrishna Paramhansa
and Maharishi Ramana. Gautama Buddha came approximately after about 77
years than Bhagwan Mahavira. Even though Ramakrishna Paramhansa and
Maharishi Ramana existed at the same time but these two enlightened
souls could never meet each other although their disciples tried their
best for their union.

It was not to be for it was never destined so by God. Having realized
self the purpose of meeting another self realized soul carries no
meaning. Having reached the fag end of cosmic life... one but retains
the physical form as long as one desires to pass on the wisdom of life
to the common masses. There is no other purpose in retaining the form
of a human being having reached the 8.4 millionth manifestation.

Most men beings rather every human being visualizes everything as our
senses make us see. We are unable to comprehend anything beyond the
powers of the senses and the mind. It is only when one reaches the
stage of Nirvikalpa samadhi one realizes the real meaning of life. It
is only at this stage one realizes that the cosmic journey of life is
supposed to be completed in 8.4 million manifestations... a long
journey of 96.4 million earthly years. And why would God desire one to
complete the journey early.

Proceeding on the journey of realizing our true self is not the
concern of mankind in general but of very few chosen persons... the
true seekers of spirituality who are willing to sacrifice everything
within their means to achieve the desired goal of their life! These
handfuls of people embark on the journey of self-realization with a
hope that they shall realize their goal of life within the present
destined earthly age.

What if they are forced to leave the mortal frame prematurely? The
journey was made long and difficult only because God desired
self-realization by a chosen one or two persons at a time and that too
probably within a time period of hundred years or so.

Your statement that having realized God realized souls must help each
other carries no meaning as having realized self one merges his
identity with God, the Almighty Creator. In other words the self
realized soul becomes one with God, the Almighty Creator. The power of
God is now available to this enlightened soul in a minuscule form.

Let me clarify that the essence of Bhagavad Gita is available to one
and all in the form of different booklets available in the market...
the cheapest being available to mankind for a sum of mere Rs 10 ($.20)
yet, most do not desire to proceed on this path. We normally observe
that in a class all students having been taught the same by one
teacher yet, one comes first and the other last. It is not upon the
teacher to educate one... it is only up to the student whether he
desires to score high in the subject or not?

Similarly, the realized souls can only preach the pearls of wisdom to
the humanity... they can only highlight the advantages of proceeding
on the path of self-realization... many God realized souls have
already tread on Mother Earth... their preaching are available in the
form of books and lectures... yet, none seems to be interested in
proceeding on this super goal of life? Why?

The moment one decides to proceed on the ultimate goal of life... the
stage of Enlightenment... all is over with this human being... this
person will have to disassociate himself from the community and even
the near and dear ones. One needs to take absolute control of the five
senses and the mind. Having gained control of the senses and the mind
one needs to practice the art of becoming a celibate for a minimum
period of 12 years... it is only hence that one can reach the stage of
Nirvikalpa samadhi and finally realized God.

In the present modern era when the materialistic tendencies are at
their peak... one is more inclined towards fulfilling wanton desires,
which gives more of physical pleasures. Clinging to the senses one
finds it extremely difficult to get out of control of the five senses
and finally the mind. Rather every human being has become a slave of
the senses and the mind.

We lust for the physical riches of life... we not only want to fulfill
our wanton desires but we desire running after name and fame...
becoming the richest individual on Mother Earth? becoming richer in
terms of physical measures and not the tangible riches of life.

Unless and until we get over with running after the materialistic
possessions of life... and understand the true crux behind the
tangible riches... those hidden pearls of wisdom contained in the
Bhagavad Gita... we shall not be able to proceed on the spiritual path
of life correctly.

Talking of self proclaimed spiritual gurus... those ignominious beings
who feel enlightened when they see their coffers getting filled up
with physical wealth... those who feel happy and contented having a
large retinue of followers... Whether these followers are able to gain
anything or not is not their concern... they merely desire their own
well-being and so-called happiness!

It is not difficult for the masses to distinguish a true God realized
being from the imposters of spirituality... in the present Kaliyuga,
even a child can distinguish the truth from falsehood. The essence of
life lies in the fact whether we are able to admit this truthful fact
or not. Most human beings would not admit that they are totally
ignorant about the spiritual part of life... they always tend to
behave in a manner that by fulfilling the religious rituals of life
they feel that their duty towards God and mankind has been taken care
of.

The essence of life does not lie in the fact that how big is our
library of spiritual books but how best we are able to assimilate the
teachings contained therein. The masses tend to believe more in
rituals than gaining spiritual wisdom... a daily visit to the temple,
church or a mosque is of no value unless we truly think of the benefit
of mankind... unless we serve the children of God... we shall not be
doing our duty towards God wisely.

Bhagavad Gita advises that none must indulge in preaching rather
suggesting study of the Scriptural texts unless and until one has
himself digested the core meaning of the pearls of wisdom contained in
the Bhagavad Gita. There is no point thinking of the benefit of
mankind unless and until we are truthfully treading the path of pure
spirituality ourselves.

Similar was the advise of Bhagwan Mahavira... he always advocated that
every human being must try to become a Mahavira for within every being
lies the seed of becoming an enlightened soul... and it is true that
every living being has a minuscule form of God within... and that is
our real self... our Atman (the soul within) prompting and guiding us
on the right path always and ever.

Every God realized soul never worries about the teachings of the other
spiritual masters... imparting the pearls of the cosmic wisdom
contained in the Bhagavad Gita is the one and only one goal of a God
realized soul. Having realized that all are children of one and only
one God, the Almighty Creator... the need to be able to distinguish
one from another on the basis of religion, caste or creed does not
arise and rather vanishes forever.

To be able to preach unity in diversity is not the goal of a spiritual
master who has realized goal. One who is able to distinguish between
the false in the truth is only required to preach and practice the
absolute truth. This is the way the life comes to a full circle... the
end of the cycle of birth and death.


Vijay Kumar ...
(The Man who Realized God in 1993)
http://www.godrealized.com/